Seatbelts on buses?

[sunseasand]

Does anyone have any idea if seatbelts on buses are compulsory? My children are going on a trip with their school in a few weeks and have been told there are no seatbelts on the buses. When I asked the head teacher why she just shrugged her shoulders and said they couldn't find a bus company with seatbelts! Bearing in mind there have been quite a few bus fatalities in recent months I will now have to drive my children there and back as I would never forgive myself if anything happened. I have also been told not to mention it to any other parents as they don't want a fuss, nor will they give me a discount for the coach fee.I am gobsmacked that there is only one other parent other than myself willing to do the same.

[peteroldracer]

For goodness sake, throw away the tons of cotton wool you are wrapping round the kids! Statistically, they stand a much much higher chance of being killed by something in the home than in a bus crash - so they are immediately safer as soon as they step outside your door!
Without risk and venture, life is not worth the experience - or lack of it.

[Zofia]

I asked my boys if they had seatbelts on the buses for their school trips, and it seems not. I would be happier if they had them, obviously, but it's not something I feel so strongly about as to not let them go (not possible to take them myself. as I work). When my daughters were little I don' t think they had seatbelts on buses either, and no one worried....

It's not wrapping them in cotton wool to want to keep them safe.

[peteroldracer]

It's not wrapping them in cotton wool to want to keep them safe.

It is just that to me and many of my generation (born just post-war) it all seems now totally over-the-top. Sure, my mother took us to infants' school and came to walk back home with us but this was at 5 or 6 years old. We walked unaccompanied to junior school - about a mile and a half - then went to grammar school initially on the bus, then cycle, then motorcycle, a distance of some five miles through South London streets and traffic. The only cars that went to school were those of the teachers. Nobody got raped, we had no mobile phones to summon help (or more realistically cause us danger because of texting instead of looking where we were going!), the one incident I heard of where someone jumped out of the bushes comlete with 'flashing mac' the 'victim' laughed her head off at the display, leaving the perv to run off in embarrasment. We enjoyed cross-country running (without a teacher in every bush), went gliding and flying with the ATC, and grew up fairly street-wise and ready to tackle the world as it was, not kept molly-coddled and frightened of our own shadows.

[sunseasand]

I am not wrapping my kids up in cotton wool. In fact my kids have had a very liberal upbringing having lived in 4 different countries. We let them run free and bring them somewhere different every weekend, instead of being hooked on tv and video games. However, having seen my aunt and uncle's family torn apart from my cousin losing his life in a traffic accident I feel it is better to be safe than sorry.It's just something I feel strongly about.

[Grouser]

I would have thought they are safer on a nice big easy to see bus even without seat belts. Plus they get the chance to mingle with their mates. By driving your kids to school you are increasing traffic density and probably also increasing the chance of an accident.

[yummymummy]

SunseaSand - I´m with you on this one in that I also asked about seatbelts on buses and was told that by law they have to be introduced by 2010. My daughters school said they couldn´t find a bus company with seatbelts and a few of the parents (all spanish) didn´t let their children go as a result (including the schools secretary who booked the buses and whose child is in my daughters class and she didn´t let her child go).

Other posters who rant and rave about the good old days are right about the good old days but things have changed and the current days aren´t quite as good. There are now more cars on the road and much faster cars and the road system down here doesn´t seem to cope with the sheer volume. You just need one over the limit youngster acting the idiot and accidents happen and the bus accidents are the ones that make the papers so naturally we are paranoid want to protect our children. My husband tells me I´m over protective and I think men simply have a different and more relaxed approach as mothers in general are more protective (its nature).

I would do what you think is best for you and the children and discuss it with them so they understand. Please don´t be feel bullied by others .....

[Ed]

Could you be certain that they would be wearing a seat belt during the journey even if they were fitted?

[sunseasand]

I am happy to say that a few of the mothers and I did a bit of research and found a few companies who do use seatbelts (via Aloha school who use them as well as Cancelada state school). We went to the headmistress and were delighted when she changed bus company for all future trips as well as the daily bus service provided to the school. She brought us on the bus beforehand and we were happy knowing our kids were wearing seatbelts. The teachers made sure they were wearing them and as my children would not get in a car without wearing one I am pretty confident they did the same on the bus.

[yummymummy]

What company is it that has them? Please share as I will let my daughters school know even though they said they tried all the companies .... not...

[sunseasand]

Will get back to you on that as I will have to check with the school which company they went for in the end. There were quite a few actually and the one which they finally chose was actually recommended by the company they were using who didn't provide seat belts!!!!